12. Talk To the Pack

Surprisingly, I was the first one to speak. “I have to go get him,” I told Edward as I walked over to get my shoes on, and having a hard time getting them on because I was trying to move too fast.

“No!” he said as he rushed over to where I was.

“Victoria has him. I don’t know how she does, but she does. I have to go find him.”

“That’s exactly what she wants. She wants you to go so she can kill you. She might not even have him. It could all be just a trick,” he tried to convince me, but we both knew it wasn’t. Victoria had Jake. Somehow, she had gotten Jacob.

“I don’t care. I can’t risk it if she does have him. I can’t let her hurt him.”

“And I can’t let her hurt you. Bella, you don’t even know where she is. How are you planning on finding her?”

I don’t know how I got my mind to focus enough to think it, but I did. “I’ll talk to the pack. Jacob had to have changed when he saw her. Hopefully one of the others were, too. I know they would want to do anything they could to help Jacob, and if that meant telling me, they would.” I could see by the look on his face that I got him. I started to head towards the door, but only to be stopped again by Edward’s arm.

I looked up at his face. I couldn’t believe this was happening, and then again I could. Jacob was out there somewhere, possibly being tortured, just waiting for me to come save him. “Edward, she could kill him,” I whispered.

“She could much more easily kill you. Jacob can take care of himself. You… you’re too fragile. I can’t risk you.”

“And I can’t risk him. I have to go.” We just stared at each other for a few seconds, wasting precious time. Finally, Edward spoke.

“I’m coming with you. All of us are. You might not go at all.”

“But she wants me, Edward. If she sees any of you, she might kill him right then and there.”

“I won’t let that happen. And that’s why I said ‘might’, not ‘won’t’,” he told me.

I could tell this was hurting him, but I didn’t have time to worry about that. There were others that I was worried about getting hurt, getting hurt in even bigger ways. Ways that might not be heal-able. “Thank you, Edward.”

“How are you going to get past Charlie?” he asked me. Shoot, Charlie. He was really ticked at me right now. Would he let me go to La Push? There was only one way to find out.

“Meet me outside,” I told him as I headed out of my bedroom and towards the stairs. When I looked back before descending them, he was gone.

I took a deep breath and then headed down the stairs. I walked into the entrance of the living room. When I did, Charlie looked up, but he didn’t say anything. That was good. The sooner to get to the point. “Dad, can I go to La push to see Jake? Please?” I waited for a few seconds in silence. He seemed to be thinking about this request. Probably wondering if I was lying and would go over to the Cullens’ instead. But he finally answered.

“Don’t stay out too late.”

“Okay.” Even as I said it, I wasn’t so sure it would happen. Who knew how long this would take? Who knew if I would ever come back? I rushed to the end of the hallway, grabbed my jacket, and ran out the door..

Edward was waiting for me in my truck. He was talking on the phone to someone. I didn’t wait to figure out who. I put the keys in the ignition, backed out of the driveway, and headed for La Push.

I figured out that Edward was talking to Carlisle from his conversation. Actually, it was from the fact that he had said ‘No Carlisle’, but even if he hadn’t, I would have been able to figure it out. A few minutes after he had hung up the phone, he told me to stop.

“Why?” I asked. He could not be changing his mind now and putting his foot down again.

“I’m not allowed in La Push. You wouldn’t want an unnecessary fight starting, what with the situation we’re in now, would you?”

He was right. I stopped the car and let him out.

“Meet me back at my house when you’re done talking with them,” he told me.

“What should I do about Charlie? He told me not to be out too late, and he’ll probably stay up waiting for me.”

Edward thought about this for a while. Then he said “After you get done in La Push, go home. I’ll be back to pick you up when Charlie is asleep.”

“Okay. See you then.” He kissed me quickly on the cheek, and then he was gone. I started driving again.

How could things have gotten so messed up? How could one of the best days of my life turn into one of the worst? Why did this have to happen right when Edward came back? It wasn’t fair. Victoria wasn’t fair. Oh God. Victoria has Jake! How could that happen? Wouldn’t have Jake been able to fight her? He should have. He always seemed so confidant about taking her on. Now look what’s happened. She’s got him. Why? Why oh why was this happening?